Action Talks with Eric Jacobus
Action Talks with Eric Jacobus
Eric Jacobus
Kenji Tanigaki: Working with Donnie Yen, the Japanese action style (Action Talks #6)
1 hour 38 minutes Posted May 19, 2023 at 5:09 pm.
Intro
Working in HK
N vs S Chinese language
Cantonese sounds
Work in Japan
Kurata's style not accepted in JP
Kabuki movement style
Bruce Lee
Beijing Canto opera
HK stuntmen first learning reactions
Japanese action teams' reaction to HK action
JP influence he brought
American wires coming from HK
First working with Donnie
Donnie Yen's response to the action essay
Working on SPL
Working on Flashpoint
Hong Kong influence in Rurouni Kenshin
Rubber Punch
Response to Kenshin from the Japanese action community
Choreographed Unchoreographed
HK vs American vs JP fight motivations
The future of Japanese action
Hiroyuki Sanada's Unique Style
Why Japan didn't make Karate movies during the Chambara era
Sonny Chiba's Chambara Action Style
HK vs. JP vs. US style of movement
Takeshi Kitano and "dead air", or "ma"
What Shintaro Katsu told Bruce Lee
Real swordplay influence in Japanese action
Lineage of Japanese Action
Junya Takagi and the Japan Action Club aesthetic
Kensuke Sonomura and Hydra
Rurouni Kenshin's crazy production schedule
Kowloon Walled In & Sammo Hung
Kurata's Views on Sammo's Filmmaking
Coverage-style shooting
Donnie's non-coverage shooting style
How Donnie gets his way in American films
Shooting Snake Eyes and working in America
American vs Japanese stunt team methods
American stunt acting is top notch
Actors doing good fight reactions
Origin of the SPL knife gag
Sakra
Kenji's action goals in Sakra
Thoughts on the wuxia genre
Destruction in Kenji's choreography
Propwork in Sakra
Storytelling in Sakra's fight scenes
Sakra's complex wire gags
Donnie's character in Sakra
How Kenji thinks about violence
How Kenji does huge wire gags
The biggest challenge when doing Sakra
Sakra's production schedule
What the Japanese action industry needs
How Kenji stays healthy while working overseas
0:00
1:38:10
Download MP3
Show notes
Kenji Tanigaki (谷垣健治) is a Japanese action designer whose work includes
Sha Po Lang, Flashpoint, the Rurouni Kenshin series, and Sakra. He talks
about Japanese stunt history, the difference between Japanese and Hong
Kong action, how he got his start in Hong Kong working with Donnie Yen,
the difficulties of working in Japan on action films, and how his action
design process has changed over time. You can see his IMDB here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0849459/